A PUB near York has undergone a complete makeover to save it from closure.

Last year The Alice Hawthorn at Nun Monkton, an idyllic village just off the A59 York-Harrogate road, made it into the Sunday Times list of the 100 Best Places to Stay 2021 across the country.

Now twelve guest bedrooms have been added in a transformation by architects De Matos Ryan who have also renovated the Grade II listed pub.

Named after a famous 19th Century racehorse, The Alice Hawthorn is the village’s last remaining pub and was in need of rescue, say the architects.

De Matos Ryan director, Angus Morrogh-Ryan, said: “Creating an innovative new economy around assets such as the village pub is essential to the health and well-being of any rural community.

"The tranquil village of Nun Monkton lures visitors from afar to see the tallest maypole in England and one of the last remaining working greens in Yorkshire. Before our client took ownership in 2013, the pub struggled commercially and had even closed for a period in 2007. Despite significant investment in a new kitchen and the wholesale refurbishment of the ground floor pub spaces, it was not yet a sustainable business.

"To become solvent long term, it needed to increase its appeal to a broader audience. Therefore, the brief was to provide tourists, as well as the local community, with a high-quality but affordable basecamp from which to enjoy the surrounding landscape and visitor attractions.”

He said work with Harrogate Borough Council and the local community informed
the project’s design and during a consultation one villager noted that "arriving home at night and seeing the pub lights on always gave them a warm feeling of contentment and calm".  

Mr Morrogh-Ryan said: "Community needs were considered at every stage of the design process and the scheme was tweaked, changed and reconfigured to acknowledge local feedback. The redevelopment has created new revenue streams for the restaurant and bar business, improved visitor footfall and, most critically, increased propensity to spend within the local economy."

The new timber frame buildings include the sheds, field barn, stables and tack room. The sheds is a single-storey infill building between existing brick outbuildings with two staff bedrooms and a bathroom. It is clad in larch with a pan-tile roof to match the outbuildings.

The field barn is a south facing, two-storey structure with four guestrooms. The lower level is clad in larch while the upper level is sinusoidal galvanised steel.

There are no windows to the north and west to prevent overlooking and light pollution to the neighbours.

The tack room, a single-storey structure with a wheelchair accessible guestroom, sits adjacent to the west boundary and the field barn. It also provides
shelter to the outdoor kitchen, pizza oven and pub garden bar. 

The pub was bought by Richard Harpin, the millionaire co-founder of HomeServe plumbing and Kate Harpin said of the recent work: “We were very excited with the shape of the plans as they evolved, and the finished result has exceeded our expectations.

"We have 12 beautiful guest bedrooms, every one of them perfect in its own way. The beer garden has been flanked by the new
buildings, making an atmospheric, sheltered and relaxing place to enjoy a pint and a tasty plate.

"The buildings, imagined as agricultural stables, stores, and barn, work brilliantly in our setting, and I have no doubt will get even better with age and weather.

"However, best of all, our guests love it, and the sense of pride exuded by the staff is wonderful.

"Since reopening, business has never been better.”